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The official unemployment rate in Switzerland edged higher for the second consecutive month in November to 3.2 percent from 3.1 percent in October driven again by an increase in jobless foreigners, government figures released on Tuesday show.

The overall rate was unchanged from a year earlier, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) said in its monthly report.

But the number of people registered for unemployment with regional placement offices rose by 4,155 from October to 136, 552, the report said.

The percentage of unemployed foreigners jumped to 6.1 percent from 5.8 percent, while the rate of Swiss jobless remained unchanged at 2.2 percent, Seco said.

By nationality, the Portuguese showed the highest number of unemployed at 11,344 for a rate of eight percent, followed by citizens from Italy (8,005, 4.9 percent) and Germany (6,914, 3.8 percent).

A total of 11,260 citizens from the western Balkans were registered as unemployed, amounting to 6.8 percent of the Balkan worker population in Switzerland, figures showed.

Overall, foreigners accounted for 47 percent of the registered unemployed in the country last month.

The canton of Geneva continue to record the highest jobless rate at 5.3 percent, unchanged from the previous month, while the canton of Obwalden posted the lowest rate (0.9 percent, up from 0.8 percent).

In Zurich, Switzerland’s biggest job market, the rate remained unchanged at 3.3 percent.

The canton of Valais recorded the sharpest increase in unemployment to 4.2 percent from 3.8 percent.

For more details check the full report (in French, German and Italian) here.